IPTV Broadcast Production & Post Content Show Highlights Mobile TV Out-of-Home Media
BY GEORGE PETERSEN, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, MIX
given this year’s tumultuous delayed to June 12, 2009 – burden on established (and
digital TV transition, for which forced the hand of many users often loyal) customers.
broadcasters have been plan- to vacate the former “white
ning and anticipating for some spaces” spectrum for wire- Digital consoles
time, changes in the audio less microphones to make Now that digital mixing con-
production realm seem almost room for the new tenants in soles have become the norm,
trivial by comparison. those frequencies. the trend today is in creating
In contrast, audio is – and The move-in will be gradual, more powerful packages in
always has been – a fairly so there may be a period when smaller footprints. As the tech-
conservative industry where those frequencies will seem nology has matured, several
adapting to new technologies clear, leading some wireless trends have emerged. greater
has typically come rather slowly. audio users to continue operat- numbers of channels are
As an example, consider the ing within that band. However, being controlled by increas-
current popularity of vacuum- such operation is illegal and ingly smaller control surfaces;
tube-based gear (microphones, eventually – and perhaps rather software plug-ins are replacing
compressors, etc.) among audio suddenly – those frequencies racks of outboard signal pro-
pros. I doubt that our cousins will fill with other users and be- cessors; and as ever, software
on the video side share wistful come unusable anyway. So for upgrades can expand the
thoughts about the good old those procrastinators who’ve feature set of existing products
days of three-tube cameras, am- waited beyond the last moment without fear of obsolescence
ber-screen computer displays or to deal with the situation, the or bankrupting the user. In fact,
tape-based linear video-editing NAB Show will provide an op- your next console may be just
systems. portunity to meet one-on-one a download away. One such
Yet, in spite of sound produc- with wireless manufacturers example of this trend is the
tion’s fondness for vintage chic, and look into solutions. Some new V4 software for Lawo’s
there’s a whole lot of change existing systems can be modi- (Booth N5433) mc2 series
afoot in pro audio. And the NAB fied or changed to function at mixers that adds extras, such
Show this year should provide a different (and it is hoped, as mix-minus self-monitoring,
an excellent forum for finding legal) frequency range. And for Surround Fader Hyperpanning
solutions for 2009 and beyond. systems that can’t be upgraded, and more. Such updates re-
numerous manufacturers have quire no change in the physical
Beyond the been offering exchanges and/ footprint, which keeps down- white spaces or rebates to replace existing time to a minimum and simpli-The d TV transition – now gear, thus easing the financial fies the installation process – a
References:
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